Red Dwarf: Back to Earth

Crapaud

Somehow I missed the original broadcast, but stayed up late last night to watch the re-run. I'd seen the trailers and it looked great;I was really looking forward to it.

It was pants! The scenery and fx were superb, but the acting was lacklustre and pedestrian, it was, at best, mildly amusing, but only a couple of times in an hour and a half.

Very disappointing.

Stewie Griffin

I didnt have high expectations for it. It was never going to be as good as the original stuff really. I half expected them to rewrite the episode where Timothy Spall runs the Red Dwarf game that they have been playing for the last few years.

Danny John-Jules was interviewed in the commentary box on Eurosport during their coverage of a Moto GP race last Season. Julian (the fat commentator) is a big red dwarf fan and said so during their chat. So John-Jules got him a "walk on" part, he was the Bus Driver.

cee

it felt very much like an advert for an upcoming potential movie deal, and an apology for stopping the originals when they did.

Oh....and an advert for Dave TV....(it was also them who commissioned it)

Bhima

It was weird without the over-dubbed studio audience laughter.

Also, seeing good quality camera work killed the lo-fi "cheap" feel which made the originals so good!

fluff.

Lack of laugh track, and lack of laughs. Blade Runner was referenced to death, to the point where you weren't sure if you were watching a homage or a remake. The whole thing felt like a Comic Relief sepcial, with it's half-baked plot and forced gags. Bit rubbish really, but if they can make another series and write some proper Red Dwarf on the back of it, then can't be a bad thing.

finchy

I've not seen it yet. Are the original writers working together?

Crapaud

johnfinch wrote:

I've not seen it yet. Are the original writers working together?

I don't think so. I'm fairly sure that the script was only by Doug Naylor.

It was when Rob Grant stopped writing that it started going downhill, IMO

Cheshley

I had a house full of mates round with high expectations but every last one of us was left disappointed.

I really wish they hadn't bothered, we laughed more at the repeat of a series 3 episode afterwards.

stephenballantyne

I don't think this 3-parter was trying to be like the previous episodes. It was about the clever, postmodern (and frankly really entertaining) plot rather than the one-liners. I thought that most of the amusement came from how well observed and self-referential it was (Craig Charles referring to his drug problem, hints at the show's fan base).

I think the guys are a bit miffed about the way the BBC cut the funding before they had a chance to finish the previous series naturally (even though it remains the BBC's best rated sitcom ever). I liked the way they referred to events that were supposed to have happened in series 9 & 10, which, of course, have never been made, but presumably this dig at the BBC was intended to try and get some cash to complete these series.

Well done I say.

jc4lab

Grant and Naylor together just shows 1+1 really makes 3...The story lines are not as good since they split..A cute Clare Grogan was the better love interest for Lister...

heavymental

fluff. wrote:

The whole thing felt like a Comic Relief sepcial, with it's half-baked plot and forced gags. Bit rubbish really...

Another good example of that was The Royle Family Christmas special. Obviously they'd been asked to do it and couldn't turn down the chance but it ends up being weak and dissapointing. Just like all the hastily put together sketches for Comic Relief et al. Got to give writers and comics time and space to operate in haven't you. Some thrive in that setting to be fair, but lots bomb.

STEFANOS4784

Watched a bit of one last night and thought it would definately be better with the dubbed laughter, seemed a bit hollow :?

Big Shoes

I think the dubbed laughter was there, it was just there was nothing to laugh at.....

jc4lab

Use to be done in front of of live audience in Manchester in the early days but then stopped cos the audiance laughed too much and too loud..I believe

guilliano

I thought it felt like one big advert for the box set that was advertised during the first episode. Wasn't impressed at all, but I have asked for the box set as a birthday pressie next month so it worked.

JLM74

I watched the first episode, but thought it was so weak, I didn't bother with the others.